A full FIDE-rules chess engine with a fair fantasy skill layer on top. Six heroes, real-time online matches, and a board that always plays by the real rules.
10 languages · Game Center online · No stat-selling, ever
A pure rules engine handles legal moves, castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition, and insufficient material — wins are decided by checkmate. On top sits an optional fantasy skill layer, and every skill move still obeys the real rules: you can never leave your own king in check.
A tested, pure-function rules engine — the same correct chess across every mode.
Blitz 3+2, Rapid 10 min, and Fantasy 8 min — each with its own clock and queue.
Skill energy is earned by making moves — never bought. Skills add tactics, not raw power.
Drain 8 seconds from your opponent's clock. Yours from the start.
Unlock free by finishing your first Fantasy match.
Shield one of your pieces from a single capture.
A blazing diagonal strike along the bishop's line.
A thunderous rushing advance down the file.
Swap the fate of two pieces on the board.
The four hero packs are separate one-time purchases at different prices. They unlock new skills and flavor — never a base stat boost. Pieces keep their standard values, and every skill still plays by the real rules. You can win the whole game with the free hero.
Sign in with Game Center, auto-match a rival, or invite a friend — real-time, peer-to-peer.
A local rating (starting at 1200), win/loss/draw, streaks, and your recent games in the Arena.
Learn the rules and each hero's skill, so newcomers and club players both feel at home.
Every screen fully localized across ten languages, switchable in the app.
Lobby and match loops, move and capture sounds, per-hero skill audio, and haptics.
VoiceOver descriptions for board squares and comfortably sized controls.
Chess Arcana has no servers of its own. Your profile and stats stay on your device, online play runs through Apple's Game Center, and there's no third-party tracking.